Well rod grab



March 25, 1952 FIG.|

R. E. AXELSTROM WELL ROD GRAB Filed NOW 30, 1948 INVENTOR: RAYMOND E. AXELSTROM Patented Mar. 25, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WELL ROD GRAB Raymond E. Axelstrom, Chicago, Ill.

Application November 30, 1948, Serial No. 62,698

3 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for recovering articles that are lost in deep wells and which are particularly useful for retrieving broken pump rods, drilling equipment, or the like.

The main objects of the invention are to provide an improved form of grab for fishing for and entering into lifting engagement with an article in the nature of a broken rod or the like that might be deep in the well; and to provide a grab structure of this kind that will pass over the top of a broken rod even when the same is leaning against the wall of the well or casing.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of a grabbing and lifting device constructed according to this invention and shown in lifting engagement with a broken pump rod in a well of which the casing is shown in section.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the grab as viewed from the right of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a similar elevation as viewed from the left of Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a detail in plan showing the manner in which the load-engaging member of the grab might embrace a rod-like article for lifting it from the well.

Fig. 5 is a detail in perspective of the spring clip which forms part of the grab.

In the drawings, the Well casing is shown in the form of a tubular pipe I and the article to be retrieved is shown in the form of a well-known type of pump rod 2 made up of rod elements 3 of wood connected end to end by screw threaded bolts 4 engaging end fittings 5 which are riveted to the ends of the rod sections 3.

The grab or retrieving device, in the form shown, comprises an elongated stem or shank l which may be of tubular form threaded at its upper end to receive an appropriate coupling 8 for attachment to the means for manipulating it, which may be a pipe or rod or may be an eye or the like connected to a rope or cable, according to the depth at which it is to be operated.

The lower end of the shank 'l is reduced in thickness to form a tongue 9 which is bent back upon itself to form a hinge eye III, the overlapping portions of the tongue being fastened tog-ether by a bolt ll. Pivotally carried by the eye [0 is a slip-grab clamping member [2 in the form of a plate having a slot l3 defining a pivot portion M which is seated in the eye Ill. The body of the clamping member l2 that extends in front of the pivot portion I4 is preferably of approximately circular contour and has a large aperture 2 I5 positioned outward from the hinge and ad jacent to the front edge of the plate.

In the form shown, the contour of the aperture l5 cuts the outer contour of the plate and forms a crescent-shaped member with inwardly directed curved and pointed horns or jaws l6 symmetrically located with respect to a center line through the hinge and aperture and to a plane radial to the axis of the shank at right angles to the pivotal axis of said member. The aperture [5 is of a size sufiicient to freely receive the pump rodor other article that is to be retrieved and the horns l6 are so directed that they can pass down over and into embracing relation to the rod 3, even if the rod 3 is leaning against the wall of the well casing.

A spring clip 11, held in place by the bolt H, extends downwardly in the form of a pair of tongues l 8 that bear against the plate l2 holding the same normally in the downwardly and outwardly inclined position in which it is shown in Fig. 1.

The clip has a pair of lugs H; which engage the sides of the tongue 9' to prevent displacement of the clip ll which is otherwise fastened only by the bolt l I passing through the aperture 20.

The nut 2| on the bolt ll serves as a stop to limit the upward movement of the plate [2 beyond an approximately horizontal position so that it always tends to fall by gravity to its downwardly inclined position as shown in Fig. 1.

In operation the grab is lowered into the well casing and is moved up and down and rotated in a fishing operation until the rod enters the aperture 15. This will be immediately apparent to the operator because of the added weight encountered when the shank is lifted. The horns l6 will pass around behind the upper end of the pump rod, even though the latter is leaning against the side wall of the well. As soon as the clamping plate I2 embraces a portion of the rod, whether this be one of the rod sections or a coupling, friction will cause the plate [2 to swing so as to tightly grip the rod as the shank 'l is lifted. The spring I? readily yields to permit the necessary movement of the plate I2 to bring it into clamping position. The margins of the aperture 15 are oppositely beveled at the front and back of the plate so as to bite into lifting engagement with the article engaged thereby.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention is herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details may be altered or omitted without departing fromthe spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A well rod grab, comprising a fishing shank, a slip-grab member pivoted on a transverse axis on said shank, and a spring normally supporting said member in a downwardly and outwardly inclined position with respect to said shank, said member comprising a plate having an aperture spaced outward from said pivotal axis and shaped to receive freely an article to be retrieved, the sides of said aperture and the external edges of said plate being shaped to meet so as to form opposed pointed horns converging toward each other at their tips to form a gap of less width than the diameter of said aperture, said horns being symmetrically spaced from a plane radial to the axis of said shank at right angles to said pivotal axis.

2. A well rod grab, comprising a shank adapted to be lowered endwise in a Well, a slip-grab member pivoted on said shank adjacent its lower end on an axis transverse to said shank, a spring clip on said shank bearing on said grab member below sitspivotal axis and normally but yieldingly supporting said grab member in a lateral downwardly andioutwardly inclined position on said shank,

said grab member comprising a plate having an aperture spaced outward from said axis and shaped to receive freely the rod to be retrieved,

the sides of said aperture and the external edges of said plate being shaped to meet so as to form opposed pointed horns inwardly bowed and converging toward each other at their tips to form a gap of less width than the diameter of said aperture, said horns being symmetrically spaced from'a plane radial to the axis of said shankat right angles to said pivotal axis.

ber pivoted on said shank adjacent its lower end on an axis transverse to said shank, a spring clip on said shank having an arm bearing on said grab member below and outward from said axis and normally but yieldingly supporting said grab member in a lateral downwardly and outwardly inclined position on said shank, said grab member comprising a plate havin an aperture spaced outward from said axis and shaped to receive freely the rod to be retrieved, the sides of said aperture and the external edges of said plate being shaped to meet so as to form opposed pointed horns inwardly bowed and converging toward each other at their tips to form a gap of less Width than the diameter of said aperture, said horns being symmetrically spaced from a plane radial to the axis of said shank at right angles to said pivotal axis.

RAYMOND E. AXELSTROM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 765,046 Shee et a1 July 12, 1904 776,221 Day Nov. 29, 1904 843,820 Imhoff Feb. 12, 1907 974,533 Soss Nov. 1, 1910 1,634,935 Donnelly July 5, 1927 1,893,971 Terrell Jan. 10, 1933 2,305,066 Cronkhit-e Dec. 15, 1942 

